Proposal
by Psi Kat
Summary: Roddy wants to propose to Rita, but he's nervous. Can he pull his act together? First Flushed Away fic. RoddyRita


Proposal

As far as I know, this is the first Flushed Away fanfic. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I haven't found any others.

Summary: Roddy wants to propose to Rita, but he's very nervous. Can he get his act together?

"" indicates speech.

'' indicates thought.

"_Italics_" indicate the slugs singing.

* * *

All was silent in the sewer. Everyone was asleep, dreaming of the next day. Everyone, that is, except Roddy the rat. He was quietly staring upward from the stern of the Jammy Dodger II. Next to him, Rita was snoozing after a long day on the water. Roddy glanced lovingly at Rita. She was so fiery sometimes, she could be scary. But Roddy loved that about her. He loved everything about her. It was hard to believe that they had been at each other's throats when they had met. But now they were in love, and they were the Captain (Rita) and First Mate (Roddy) of the Jammy Dodger II. It amazed Roddy, but he was glad that it had happened. 

Roddy reached into his pocket and felt the little ring he had stuck in his pocket so Rita wouldn't find it. He smiled at the thought of being married to Rita. Of course, he still had to propose to her, but he didn't figure it would be too hard. After all, he loved her beyond words. Still smiling, he took his hand out of his pocket and closed his eyes, finally going to sleep and dreaming of the future.

"_These words are my own...Let my heart flow...I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you..._"

THE NEXT DAY

"Roddy, hand me the flat head!"

Roddy obliged. The Jammy Dodger II's engine had started sputtering, and now Rita was down below trying to fix the problem. Since Roddy was no good at mechanics, he was content to let her fix the problem while still being useful. "Can you see the problem?" he asked her.

Rita kicked at him, which Roddy just barely managed to avoid. He laughed. "Missed!" he called to her. "Well, I'll get you later," she retorted. "This thing has more than just a couple of screws loose. It'll take me quite a bit longer to fix than I thought." Roddy sighed. 'Stupid boat. You ruined everything,' he thought.

"_And the people all said, 'Sit down, sit down, you're rocking the boat.' The people all said, "Sit down, sit down you're rocking the boat.' _"

"Is there anything else you need me to do?" he called back. Rita paused for a minute. "If you want to scrape off any barnacles, I'd be glad. I'll holler if I need you for something." Roddy flinched. He and the barnacles did not get along. But, if it made Rita happy...

"Darn it! Get off!" Roddy roared at one barnacle. It glared back at him. "I ain't going anywhere!" it hissed. "Oh yes, you ARE!" Roddy shot back, attacking it with the scraper. It fell off into the water. "You'll pay for this!!" it screeched as it sank. Roddy wiped his brow, relieved. Then someone delivered a gentle kick to the back of his head. "Hello to you too, Rita," he said, turning around. Rita smiled down at him, offering her hand. Roddy grabbed it and returned to the boat. "Hungry?" Rita asked. Roddy nodded. "Good, because supper's ready," she told him, gesturing toward a small chest covered by a rough cloth and bowls of food. Gratefully, Roddy sat down. Rita sat on the opposite side. "How's the engine?" he asked her. Rita frowned. "We aren't going anywhere for a while," she said moodily. Roddy began to grow concerned. He knew that the Jammy Dodger II was extremely precious to Rita. She didn't like anything to happen to it. He reached across the chest and lifted her chin. "Hey, it'll be fixed. Don't worry. We'll be moving within a day." Rita looked into Roddy's concerned eyes. She smiled. "Yeah...you know how I am with the boat." Roddy nodded. "I also know that you have never failed to fix this boat whenever it needed it."

Rita began to look happy again. 'Maybe I should ask her now,' he thought. His hand slid into his pocket and fingered the ring. He suddenly felt nervous. 'Oh great,' he thought. He looked back at Rita. She seemed to note that something was amiss. "Are you all right, Roddy?" she asked. "Oh, uh, yes, I'm fine," he replied. Rita didn't buy it. "Are you sure?" she asked, her eyes becoming a little harder. "Uh...well..." Roddy tried. "It's just...well, I, uh...um, you see..." Roddy tried again. Rita waited patiently. "Oh, forget it," Roddy said, returning quite forcefully to his food. Rita's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You realize that now I know something's up," she informed him. Roddy winced. "But, since I know you well enough, I can let it slide until you feel up to telling me," she added. Then she returned to her own supper. Roddy felt terrible. 'I've got to ask her,' he thought anxiously. Feeling a surge of determination, he pulled the ring out of his pocket. "I...got this for you," he began nervously. Rita, surprised, took the ring and studied it. She looked back at him. "What is this for?" she asked, stunned.

Roddy swallowed and felt himself fall to his knees next to her. "Rita, I know sometimes we disagree, and that when he first met we could barely stand each other," he began, shaking like a leaf. "But I feel so glad that we got past that. I'm glad that we've become so close. I love you more than I thought anyone could love anyone. And now..." he swallowed hard, "I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Rita looked at the ring, then back at him. Her eyes grew even wider when she realized what he was asking. Roddy took her hand and looked bravely into her eyes.

"Rita...will you...marry me?"

The next thing Roddy knew, Rita had flung her arms around him, knocking them both to the floor of the boat. "Yes, yes, yes!" Rita managed to choke out. This sank into Roddy's heart for a moment. Then he tightly wrapped his arms around his new fiancée. "I love you, Rita," he said, giving her a tender kiss.

"I love you too, Roddy."

"_Going to the chapel and we're...gonna get married...going to the chapel of love..._"

* * *

Lol, I had to give the slugs the last word.

Read, review, and eat more rice!

Psi Kat


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